The Pheu Thai Party-led government's flagship digital wallet policy has received approval for an additional budget in the current fiscal year.
The Royal Gazette on Friday announced the royal endorsement of 122 billion baht to fund the scheme, effective Saturday.
Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra told the "Vision for Thailand" forum organised by Nation Group said on Thursday the party's handout plan is needed to boost a sluggish economy.
"We need to stimulate the economy as our country has grown slowly for a long time," Thaksin said, outlining the benefits of the handout scheme that was a key campaign promise for his party in last year's election.
Thaksin's remarks on Thursday indicated that his daughter Prime Minister Paetongtarn would likely continue with the plan, which has come under criticism from economic experts and the Bank of Thailand (BoT).
The government is considering using 145 billion baht from the 2024 fiscal budget to provide handouts to 14.5 million people in September, with additional disbursements starting from October, he said.
"It will be an immediate economic boost in September," he said.
The scheme aims to distribute 10,000 baht via a digital wallet to around 50 million eligible Thais hangs in the balance following the dismissal of Srettha Thavsin as prime minister by order of the Constitutional Court.
Thailand's economy grew 2.3% in the April-June quarter from a year earlier, beating expectations amid policy uncertainty following the change in government.
